Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Patty Mills talks about his controversial heritage

Blazers guard Patrick Mills is often described as the latest in a reasonably long line of Australian players in the NBA that includes Luc Longley, Andrew Bogut and Andrew Gaze. It's a new, growing hotbed for hoops products, and Mills is helping to raise the sport's profile in the country.

The subject pertains to his Indigenous Australian heritage, more specifically his Aboriginal mother, Yvonne, who as a 2-year-old was taken from her mother along with her older brother and three older sisters. The abduction was part of a national effort led by the Australian government and church missions to remove Indigenous Australian children from their homes and assimilate them into white culture.

It is now classified as "The Stolen Generation," and Yvonne was a textbook victim.

"That's the chip I carry on my shoulder," Mills continued. "Not just being an Indigenous Australian, but knowing that my mom's side of my family never got to see me play."